The Mystery of the Artificial Blood
by Crime Crusaders Contest
Summary: Aro contemplates starting a venture in the US. Zombies start appearing in the Cullens' new abode. A crime crusader has to step in to solve the mystery of the artificial blood before the situation spirals out of control. Set post-Breaking Dawn.


Story Title: The Mystery of the Artificial Blood

Summary: Aro contemplates starting a venture in the US. Zombies start appearing in the Cullens' new abode. A crime crusader has to step in to solve the mystery of the artificial blood before the situation spirals out of control. Set post-Breaking Dawn.

Pairing: Edward/Bella, the usual.

Rating: M (character death)

Word count: (not including summary or title) 5143

Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong solely to Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended.

Aro was sipping his goblet of red _wine _as he looked around his little kingdom. Volterra seemed prosperous, but he contemplated how to make it even more so. He hadn't forgotten the insult the Cullens had given him a few decades ago, and to add injury, they hadn't returned to grovel at his feet since.

He figured it was time for another visit, this time to negotiate a business partnership.

"Alice, do you have any idea what superhero Edward wanted to be when he was younger?"

The petite girl was in the middle of designing a new line of clothing, but stopped short from her work in order to give a thoughtful reply to her sister, "Well, superheroes weren't around when he was born, and I think he despised them when he first learnt about them, however, we have been high schoolers so many times, that he was forced to read about them in the end. I believe his favorite was Batman."

"Batman, really? Isn't it a bit too ironic? The vampire whose hero is the bat?"

"Well, I think he liked it because Bruce Wayne was human, he didn't have any superpowers, but he still tried to make the world a better place. Bella, why are you asking this?"

"Oh, I didn't want to get you worried, it's just… Edward has started going out at night."

"What do you mean? Besides feeding?"

Bella nodded her head. Renesmee was spending time with Jacob. Rosalie and Emmett joined as dutiful aunt and uncle since Nessie was still a teenager. Jasper commuted to keep the households balanced. The rest were settling in another small town, this time near Chicago. That's when Edward had started these nightly routines. First it was one night per week, then a couple, now it was almost every night.

"I don't understand, where does he say he is going?"

"Oh, he always finds an excuse, either to run an errand, rent a movie, buy a book he forgot about, talk to Renesmee… But the fact is he returns after much longer than the time needed."

"I don't understand what does Batman have to do with it…"

"Well, do you remember the time he used to avenge unknown criminals, by reading their minds? I think he is trying again… I can sometimes get into his head, and there are these thoughts… Alice, they are murderous."

Alice left her work alone, and came to sit next to Bella. She realized she was tense – she had been a vampire for a while now, but even she wasn't invincible. Our weakest point is always our loved ones.

"I'll ask Carlisle," Alice assured her.

The pixie didn't manage to keep her promise for a while, trying to keep herself at bay from Edward at least till she consulted with Carlisle. If Edward was acting so strange that Bella had started noticing, something was up.

As she made her way to the library, she could hear voices arguing.

"I'm telling you, there is no choice! Do you think I like it even more than you do?"

"Then tell him _no_! Why is it so hard? Or does he need a reminder that we can beat him anytime?"

The two voices then fell silent, only for Edward to call for Alice, "Come in, I know you are there."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt… I just wanted to talk to Carlisle for a bit."

"It's all right. You should be aware of this too, Aro called this morning announcing a visit, moreover, he wants to get us on board with distributing artificial blood for him."

If looks could kill (and vampires would die from it), Carlisle was throwing daggers, "What Edward fails to mention, is that Aro can be very persuasive. You know Volterra is in his hands."

"What I am saying is that we do not need to step back. We showed him back then that we could fight him and defeat him."

"Is it really worth the sacrifices? Only for a favor like this? It's true I do not consume artificial blood myself, but it is part of the future," Carlisle tried to reason with Edward, but he would have none of it.

"Well, let me know what you decide, one way or the other. You know where I stand," and he stormed out of the room.

Alice, who had been staying quiet for the entire time of their discussion, now resumed her thoughts, "Is he all right? Should I go after him?"

"No, I understand where he's coming from. We cannot trust Aro, but at the same time, I do not see the problem in offering our help. Even though I prefer animal blood to this artificial one, I realize it may be an important nourishment for our lives, especially if we can get them off human blood. What was it you wanted to talk about, Alice?"

"Oh, I was just wondering whether Edward seemed okay to you. And if he was acting like this when he was off crusading the streets of Chicago."

"I didn't notice anything special, but now that you mention it, he seems to be picking fights more often. When he was a crime crusader before, he was estranged from us. I think being back in Chicago might be emotional for him. It may also be reading criminals' minds is messing with him sometimes, and he may need a safe place. Surely if there was a problem, Bella would have noticed it."

"Indeed, she would have noticed," Alice mused getting worried.

Then they started appearing. _The Apocalypse! The undead are walking! Beware of zombies!_

Out of the supernatural world, Bella didn't believe zombies actually existed. She remembered laughing and teasing Emmett and Jasper about that – now she wanted to bite her words. Renesmee was away with Jacob in the Quileute reservation, so hopefully she was spared the gory details.

Zombies seemed to be running around Chicago, creating havoc, and though they couldn't hurt vampires, they appeared to be even worse, our _competition_. They were as dead as vampires and needed human blood to support themselves. The authorities were trying to keep people from panicking, suggesting tests were made in order to assess whether animal or artificial blood could be used on them. However, for some reason, they didn't seem to be that cooperative.

"Where are you sneaking off to now, darling?" Bella stood menacingly at the end of the flight of stairs.

"Oh, I just needed to check something at the library, I won't be long…" Edward's excuse was cut short.

"Take me with you."

"Bella, it's not that interesting…"

"Look, I understand you didn't want to take me when I was a fragile little human and James and his coven were chasing me, but now I am stronger. I am invincible."

_Not to me, _Edward wanted to say, but didn't want to insult her. So he sighed and took her hand.

"Where are we going?" she asked with a victorious grin.

"To talk to Megan."

"Who is Megan?"

"The first zombie."

If Edward hesitated to take her, now Bella understood why. They were stepping inside one of the biggest cemeteries in Chicago. The air was chilly and it was in the middle of the night. It was the epitome of all horror stories she had read while growing up. However, now she knew better. She was a vampire herself, and knew monsters were lurking in all of us. The rest were all labels.

"Are you sure we are going to find her here?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Can you hear her thoughts?"

"Fragmented ones only. And Alice cannot see them at all."

"Is that why you are so worried?"

"Among other things."

They found her rummaging through a grave, picking bones and smelling them.

"Megan," Edward acknowledged her. She turned around baring her teeth, but as she recognized the other two as undead, she resumed her snooping.

"Megan, you won't find any blood there," Bella said gently.

"Where then? Are you offering?" the zombie hissed. Megan had no time to take a step towards Bella before Edward growled and came between them.

"We don't have time for this, Megan. We need some answers."

"You haven't asked anything till now," Megan resumed her search, "not that I can promise you answers."

Edward was preparing to jump on her, when Bella tried another technique, "Megan, look, I know you are scared, I know you think your thirst will never quench, but it does get better."

The girl seemed to have stopped to listen now. "How do you know?"

"I was there once, I was once a newborn vampire. Megan, everything will be alright."

"Bella is right, but in order to help you, and others like you, you need to tell us everything you remember," Edward interjected as well.

"Everything I remember? Well, it isn't much, but the day of the transformation, I remember taking the subway back after work, only to discover I had run out of milk. I decided to get off one stop earlier, to get to the convenience shop, I had to go through a dark alley. Then it happened, someone appeared from behind and I was knocked over. I only saw a shadow, and the next thing I know I woke up at the hospital. That is where this marvelous doctor with blond hair appeared and comforted me. I thought he was an angel."

Edward trembled at the words, not realizing if he had done it as an automated reaction or in order to appear more human. Bella just looked at him with concern.

"Megan, that is really helpful. Can I just ask you one more thing – do you happen to remember the name of the doctor?"

"I will never forget it, _Carlisle Cullen_."

"I don't understand, are you suspecting Carlisle of something?" Alice was voicing her concern.

"I didn't say that, we don't have all the facts yet," Edward replied defensively.

"Damn right we don't. What's so special about Carlisle being at the hospital? It's not like he wasn't on guard or anything."

"Actually, he did called in specifically, but that might be just because he does not shy away when dealing with dead bodies. Which they thought Megan was when she was still in the hospital!"

"Even so, he's a doctor! What exactly are you accusing him of?"

"It's just… he's hiding his thoughts from me."

"Edward, I thought you were trying to give our family a little bit more privacy? There can be a million reasons he is doing that, nonetheless to save you some pain too!" Bella stepped in annoyed.

"Love, you're right, of course. I think I need to talk to him."

"We are all going with you."

They found Carlisle in the lab he had improvised in their new house. It looked like a greenhouse, but it was used for his experiments as well.

"Carlisle, what are you doing?"

"Oh, kids, you're back! If you don't mind, I am a little busy now…"

Alice took the front, "Carlisle, you're overworking, look, we know you've been taking extra shifts at the hospital. We also know, you were there when the first zombie appeared. Is there something you are not telling us?"

Carlisle sighed and took a seat, he looked older, and knowing he was a vampire and couldn't age only made things more worrisome, as he was finding comfort in pretending to be human.

"Yes, there is something I haven't told you. The night Megan ended up at the ER, I was on guard. She seemed just like another human, though she was severely beaten up. They were doing all sorts of tests, and she reminded me so much of… Esme. So I decided to turn her."

"You mean, turn her into a vampire?" Bella asked dumbly.

"Yes, I found the right moment, when the others weren't looking, and I tried biting her. I did, but her skin tasted differently. She was already transforming. Next thing I know, she wakes up with an unbeaten heart and asks for blood! So, she's classified as a… zombie."

Bella shuddered, a reminiscence of being human, while the others stood motionless.

"Do you think the venom interfered with the transformation?" Alice was the one to mutter the question out.

"I'm not sure what happened."

"What about the others? There are about ten other zombies by now, right?"

"Correct. I didn't interfere with the others, I just went to the hospital to check on them as patients."

"So… do you think someone is somehow transforming people into zombies?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Then what are you doing here? What's the big mystery about the greenhouse?" yelled Edward. He preferred action to contemplation these days.

"I thought I could develop an antidote or a vaccine. I took some blood samples from all the people who were transformed and I am now looking for a pattern."

"This is absurd! It could take years! We need to know who started this, and why!"

"I agree with you, son, but I'm afraid the worst is yet to come."

A couple of months passed without any incidents. There were some people transforming into zombies still, but once immobilized, they seemed to be capable of refraining from drinking blood or started accepting animal or even artificial blood. As the danger faded the general audience seemed to become more accepting. In this rhythm, Aro thought it was possible to unveil the identity of vampires as well.

Of course, vampires were a superior class to zombies, but the latter could pave the way for interaction with humans. The Cullens weren't so optimistic. Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper continued to live with Jacob and Renesmee closer to Forks, where cases of _zombism_ were yet to be reported.

On the other hand, the situation in Chicago had become more dire. Nearly all cases reported were identified there. Carlisle was desperately trying to find a pattern, while Edward was spending his time chasing people's thoughts for a lead. He was also practicing reading zombie thoughts, however jumbled they appeared.

Then one day – the news spread. There had been a zombie attack. A seemingly calm and passive zombie who had not given any indication of being violent, had struck his guard. The latter was recovering, but staff and other humans were starting to panic.

Edward was on the zombie's tail, with Alice and Bella right behind him. Due to his superspeed, he arrived at the center first, helping put the zombie in a high-security unit. The girls watched with horror at the precautions taken to keep the zombie safe, but restrained.

"Is that really necessary?" they asked at last.

"Not everyone is a vampire and can protect themselves." Came Edward's bitter remark. He had never been so nasty, in fact, he was distracted, through the hazy thoughts of the zombie, he could identify a figure he never thought he would see again... _James_. James was dead, burnt and buried – how could he reappear, and what was the connection with the zombies?

Alice gasped as she read Edward's thoughts, while Bella asked to be filled in her mate had raised his defenses too and made a sign to Alice to keep quiet.

He needed to talk to someone first – he went in search of Megan again, this time pleading with Alice to take Bella home. As Alice saw Edward's decision in her mind, she agreed to it.

The cemetery was cold that day, but like vampires, zombies were dead and couldn't feel the temperature. He found her lying down in an open grave, sipping a goblet.

"Who's been supplying you with the blood?"

"Hmm, why would I tell you?"

"Because I know how to destroy you."

Probably seeing the determination in his eyes, Megan finally replied, "A vampire."

Edward nodded as much, "You were to pretend to be quiet and tame, in exchange for blood, right? What are you waiting for?"

"A sign."

Edward was getting angrier – his avenger side was coming out. When he was younger he had fought for the innocent, but clueless people, now he had a family to protect as well.

"Soon I'll be strong enough to destroy you," Megan sneered at him.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"It's just a message from… _the vampire._"

He knew he could destroy Megan now – he was sure that if vampires could be burnt down to ashes, then weaker creatures could be destroyed as well, even if he had to be more creative. But he looked at Megan carefully, she was not the aggressor, just the victim. If he were to kill a victim, what sort of avenger would that make him?

He could catch glimpses of her thoughts as a human, including her final ones before the attack. One glance was enough to know where to go.

"Don't worry, Megan, I heard you loud and clear."

His thoughts were scattered now – the pieces of the puzzle were coming together, but it was too incredible. Suddenly, his eyes sparkled with panic, and he went as fast as he could towards the hospital.

Another attack had been attempted and they were bringing the human victim and his aggressor in. The man had been hurt and was nursing his arm, with terror in his eyes. Edward got all the information he needed from the images in his head, so he turned to the zombie named Peter.

He had managed to take a pair of nurse scrubs and a chart and started by asking him routine medical questions.

"Get it over with," the zombie said with resignation.

"What do you mean?"

"I know what you are."

This got Edward thinking, could zombies sense him as easily as he could, or did only some of them have special powers?

"All right, this will go quicker then, you need to tell me everything you know."

"Why would I do that?"

"Don't you have any dreams or hopes?" Edward took a step back to look at him better. Where venom pumped in vampires which made them sparkly beautiful, zombies had a purple, unhealthy color, making them stand out unnaturally.

"Well, if you haven't figured it out, I am dead. We have something else in common too… we are both bloodlusters. I can see it in your eyes, even though they have this weird yellow color, we have the same nature. So, no, bloodsucker, I do not have any dreams or hopes."

The vampire sighed, "Maybe surprisingly, I was like you as well. Despite my deceitful appearance, I considered myself a monster. It wasn't until I met someone who gave me a chance, that I gave myself a chance."

They stared at each other for a while, then Peter said quietly, "Are you happy now?"

"Yes, I strive to fight for humans to be treated with respect and consideration. They are not just food, we were like them once. Can you remember that?"

Finally, the zombie relaxed enough and closed his eyes. Edward took advantage of the momentum to go through his head. Memories of a home and friends were filling though his head, and then suddenly, a sight he thought he would not see again either, _Laurent._

Edward frowned and went through the thoughts more carefully, focusing on the images coming, trying to get over his own feelings of concern and disconcertion. Why would James and Laurent reappear? Could they have, become zombies? The simple thought made him shiver, and not from cold. Before his thoughts could go wild again, an image struck him, Laurent's image, it was actually a picture of him. He tried to remember James'. The ploy started to dawn on him. They were all pictures. The zombies had been shown pictures of James and Laurent to memorize, but why?

So someone was messing with his mind. Another vampire. Who knew what seeing the images meant for the Cullens?

"Is there… anything else you remember?"

Peter sighed again, seemingly tired, "I let you see everything."

"Please, just try to remember your last moments."

A flash of light, a car coming towards him, a fast swerve, and then the hospital. Fast images of nurses, beeping machines, blood transfusions and cries from outside. His family was at the hospital. He could hear a comforting voice trying to explain the situation. The blonde hair slicked back, the calm composure, the moment the face turned, Edward's doubts were confirmed. _Carlisle._

He held the key to the mystery, he was sure.

"Peter, thank you so much." And then before he left, Edward turned to him one more time, "You are not defined by this state. You are not a monster. Hold on to that humanity and hopefully one day someone will see it in you."

He smiled once again and rushed home. Somehow the jumbled pieces were floating around without a clear image, but he knew he was close. Very close to solving the mystery.

He was excited to share his progress with the girls. He knew he hadn't been fair by denying them access to his thoughts, but it seemed like the right thing to do. Bella and Alice would be safer at home. Or so he thought. As he arrived home he could sense something wasn't right. The venom almost froze in his system. The living room was a battle field glass everywhere, blood and ashes.

_No, no, no… _he repeated like a mantra, when he arrived at the scene of the crime. The greenhouse was shattered, and there lay a corpse and his two favorite girls.

"Bella, Alice! Thank goodness you're safe!" He went to them to reassure them, but the sobs held him in place. Then the full realization sank in, the corpse on the floor was Carlisle's.

"What happened? Carlisle! Let's hurry and have him recover." He couldn't tell how injured he was, he seemed unconscious. Then he smelled it, gasoline, Carlisle's body was drenched in gasoline.

"No!" a voice came from behind and they all turned to see Esme in all her glory. Their eyes fell on the torch she was holding in her hand.

"Esme, you can't be serious! It's Carlisle," Edward tried to approach slowly in order to get the flame from her, wished Jasper was there to give him a feel of the situation. He couldn't understand what was happening. Esme was his mate, his better half. Then realization struck, Esme was drenched in gasoline as well.

"Stop! Edward, I don't want to hurt you. I think you'd better leave. This is between me and him," she continued like an avenging goddess.

When none of the others gave a sign that they were prepared to leave, Esme only sighed. "Kids, it was him. It was all Carlisle!" and she started sobbing as well.

"What are you talking about?" Bella and Alice raised to go towards her, but Esme stopped them again. They were playing with fire, and one bad movement could mean death. Eternal death. It wasn't until that moment that Edward realized how important his life had become. Although he once craved it, chasing danger and believing he needed to pay his debts to humanity, he now felt something he never expected to feel as a vampire, vulnerable. The pain of losing Carlisle, Esme's betrayal, the risk of losing Bella, and never seeing Renesmee or his family again. It was all too much. He never expected to fear losing his existence.

"It was Carlisle's fault. He turned Megan, Peter, and the others into, zombies," came Esme's slow explanation while hovering over Carlisle's listless body.

"What are you saying? Yes, Carlisle tried to turn one into a vampire, but it didn't work…" Alice tried to dissuade the situation, desperately trying to see what the outcome would be depending on the decision taken. Her head was swarming – there were too many things to consider.

"She's not talking about that, but the blood transfusions," Edward interfered grimly.

Esme made eye contact with him, "So you know, too."

"I don't follow," Bella said frightened.

"It was done with artificial blood," Edward finished the unspoken thought.

"But Carlisle couldn't have known, what motive could he have for it? It must have been a mistake, he was trying to save their lives!" the girls were pleading with Esme as Edward was slowly approaching her.

"Stand back, Edward," said Esme determinedly, "Please, he wanted this, he can't live knowing he was responsible for the extinction of the human species. We talked about this, he said that if it ever came to it, he would rather if I did it."

Edward gritted his teeth. Bella and Alice were only waiting for a sign from him, but they weren't sure they could attack Esme. He stared down at Carlisle as the last piece of the puzzle filled in.

"Alice, Bella, come on, we need to go to Volterra! Esme, please, whatever you do, wait till we come back."

With that, he tried to turn his back from his parents and set his mind on what to do next.

Aro was grinning as they entered. Bella had joined them, but was particularly instructed not to use her shield power unless asked.

Edward went to Aro first, shaking his hand as per protocol, knowing that the tyrant would like to know his innermost thoughts. A jolt of electrical current surged through them, but Aro recovered quickly and smiled sinisterly.

He then turned to Alice and greeted her with arms wide for a hug, "My darling girl, how have you been?"

Alice went towards him with small steps, she knew the contact was unavoidable. They were locked in an embrace for a long time, from which Aro came out shaken.

"I'm sorry to hear about Carlisle, but what does that have to do with me?"

"You need to stop the artificial blood delivery. We do not want it, nor need it. It creates zombies, and you know it."

"It's unfortunate that humans cannot restrain themselves from using these means, but it does not have anything to do with us."

"Oh really? So you are not using artificial blood transfusions to prepare a war between people? Dividing them in pro and against zombies? They will fight and destroy each other, while you wait patiently aside. As the strongest species, you believe vampires can never be touched, and you will manage to sire over everyone." Edward's eyes were shining as he dared Aro to contradict him.

"Well done, my boy. I knew you had potential, too bad you never allowed yourself to be lured to the darker forces."

"You even tried to set me on different leads, implementing those images of James and his coven inside your victims' heads."

"I thought that was rather a nice touch," leered Aro while watching Bella flinch.

"But in the end… you lose," Edward says plainly.

"Whatever do you mean? It's not my fault Carlisle basically commits suicide and takes the blame for the scheme. He was always a gentle soul, but why does he have to take on the responsibility of the world?"

"But you know the effect that the artificial blood has on vampires."

"It may not taste as good as human blood, but it still goes better than that horrible animal on, and without the smell."

"Oh, but what happens when the artificial blood is not ingested, but injected? Have you experimented on that?"

Aro's perfectly calm demeanor trembled and if one didn't know better, he seemed even paler than usual.

"By the looks of it, you've seen it happen, and my dear Aro, I'm afraid this is your destiny."

Aro's red eyes shone with horror, "What have you done?"

"I've injected the artificial blood through a plaster, hidden in my hand when we shook hands. It might take a while to feel it, but it's coming."

If Bella thought she had seen a mad vampire before, it faded in comparison to the fury Aro was unleashing now.

"As you know, there is no antidote yet, so your destiny is sealed. I wish I would say I'm sorry about it, but you brought it onto yourself."

Aro shudders as his hands leave Alice, remaining in mute contemplation. He didn't dare touch Edward for confirmation, only asking for verbal reassurance.

"Is it sure this would happen?"

"You know how future premonitions work, Aro. Some things might be tweaked, but the gist of it is that it all comes back to your decision to deliver artificial blood in the US. And it ends with your… entrapment."

At this point, I wasn't even sure it was better to have Aro die, or become insane due to the artificial blood. Either to disappear, or spend eternity out of his mind.

"Is it really worth it, Aro?" Edward pushed him.

Aro turned his back to them and uttered his command, "Take them out!"

Edward thought they might have pushed past his limit, when Aro added, "And... stop the delivery. Let's go get rid of this poison."

As they were exiting Volterra, Bella wondered, "What was that all about? One day we received a telephone call about a shipment from Volterra, then the next moment, you two run back here. Can you fill me in?"

Alice and Edward exchange a knowing look. They were still shaken by the nightmare that could have been. How could they explain the terror, the wars, the Apocalypse?

Finally, Edward took the lead, "Sweetheart, believe me, you're not missing much. It was just that the artificial blood business would have been a disaster."

"But why did you have to show him how it went?"

"Well, it worked before, Prevention is better than fighting crime."

"Oh really? I thought you always wanted to be a superhero."

"No, I mean… if it ever came to it, I would take the part. The truth is, I thought I was going to go batty, myself."


End file.
